Jeff Malet Photography

LOC National Book Festival (2015)

Book lovers of all ages rubbed shoulders with 175 prominent authors, poets and illustrators at the 15th Library of Congress National Book Festival on Saturday Sept. 5, 2015 in Washington D.C. David McCullough, Jane Smiley, Al Roker, Tom Brokaw, E.O. Wilson, Kate DiCamillo and Buzz Aldrin were among the featured speakers. The year also marked the 200th anniversary of the Library’s acquisition of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library and the festival used a quote from Jefferson himself “I cannot live without books", as its theme. For the second year in a row, the Festival took place indoors at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, away from its former home on the National Mall and its newly installed watering system.

Stephan Pastis
Stephan Pastis used to be a lawyer. Now, he is the award-winning cartoonist who creates “Pearls Before Swine,” a syndicated daily comic strip that runs in 750 newspapers around the world. The humorous comic strip’s host of friends—Rat, Pig, Goat and Zebra—deliver a smart, witty and painfully honest commentary on modern issues ranging from politics to pop culture. Pastis tends to produce his comics at an unusual five to nine months ahead of the deadline. His latest collection is “Pearls Gets Sacrificed: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury” (Andrews McMeel). In addition to creating “Pearls Before Swine,” Pastis is the author of the best-selling children’s chapter book series Timmy Failure.